representatives have to represent. they have to put their best foot forward. commissioner mirkarimi: thank you. any other public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. same house, same call? so moved. next item. >> item 10. allocate $270,819 in prop k funds, with conditions, to the san francisco municipal transportation agency for one project and $1,275,900 in prop k funds, with conditions, to the department of public works for two projects, subject to the attached fiscal year cash flow distribution schedules, and amend the relevant 5-year prioritization program for curb ramps. this is an action item. commissioner mirkarimi: discussions? public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. same house, same call. so moved. next item. >> item 11. allocate up to $57,213,174 in prop k funds, with conditions, to the san francisco municipal transportation agency for the central subway tunnel boring machines and tunnel boring launch box, subject to the attached fiscal year cash flow distribution schedule and amend the 2009 prop k strategic plan.

this is an action item. commissioner mirkarimi: i actually have one question for staff. per my remarks, is there any impact related to the federal government, with regard to this particular phase of funding? >> this particular phase is for the tunnel contract, divided into three pieces. this would fund the first two pieces. right now, the mta is targeting december of this calendar year for the full funding grant agreement with the federal transit administration. the new starts process has always been extremely competitive and has always been a process where a local sponsor engages the federal transit administration from the beginning of the project for environmental clearance. so there are many steps throughout this process, working

with the fta. assuming you pass all of those steps, it is unlikely the project will not get a full funding grant agreement. there is a real issue about whether the funding comes in, when it is assumed, the timing. that is why, a few months ago, the mta, and we, took action for backup. for instance, the state bond funding. with the federal funding, and the mta has been working with the comptroller's office. you may recall that this is the way that it is historically done. i think that this will be funded at all levels requested.

commissioner mirkarimi: very good. discussion? public comment? >> i am the planning manager at chinatown cdc. we have been working on this project for a 15to 20 years -- 15 to 20 years and we would like to come to you to ask for support. san francisco is a transit first city. we are all working on transit inclusion and access for everyone. it has been mentioned that federal money is becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain, and that we are so close to the finishing line, after 15 years of work, from the mta, city community, and we want to use this opportunity to lock in the infrastructure benefits for our neighborhoods. lastly, to point to some of the economic benefits and job gains -- one of the businesses that

relocated, they moved two weeks ago, and they have already hired local small-business people. i just want to point that out as for the small business development. keep this project going and help us to fill this community dream. commissioner mirkarimi: any other public comment? >> i am a consultant, working with state muni san francisco. you should not pass this today. there was a lot of gobbledygook by the young lady who spoke on the initial part, but what she said, if you listen to it, is the full funding agreement may not be available. in case any of you have not read

the newspapers, you probably are not aware that the republicans in the house have a different agenda than the fta. the fta may think this project is a good one -- i doubt it, because it is not. but the republicans in the house are targeting new starts projects, good, bad, or indifferent. we do not know what is going to happen in washington. it makes no sense to commit the city to $57 million on the way to $200 million, now without that full funding agreement in your pockets. you are being irresponsible if you do it, and you will subject yourself to a taxpayer's lawsuit. commissioner mirkarimi: thank you. any other public comment?

>> my name is david. westin addition housing advocates. three days ago, i was in orange county, at a private party, with a bunch of orange county republicans. i happen to meet congressman ed royce. i am not much of a liar, and i admit and then i was in nancy pelosi's district. they were telling me a whole bunch of things, including talking about this project. they were very much against it and they will do everything possible to embarrass pelosi. as far as i heard, nancy, i really like her a lot.

i heard she is neutral on this project. the only reason she is for it is because local politicians are for it. i would appreciate, that whenever action is taken by this board, will not embarrass her. aside from this, i heard from the republican that they believe this is a boondoggle, and they are born to take advantage of it. that is all i will say. commissioner mirkarimi: any other public comment? >> since the question on the impact on chinatown came up, i think i should say a few things. if i really thought this was a

major benefit to chinatown, i would be for this. when i first heard about the subway, why not? it is the best place. unfortunately, the concept has been ruined. let me give you a couple of figures that come from the mta, as officially submitted to the federal government. we found out, because the fta, they have caused the early claims of the mta to be brought down closer to reality. there is 76,000 riders today that use the three bus lines that go along stockton streets. chinatown someplace station will attract 8000, an additional 10%. that is an indication that the subway only the tracks 5 the new riders a day.

washington street is not tied down. it is the southern third of chinatown. the rest of chinatown is not helped, nor are all the people to the north and west. finally, according to the newspapers, the chinatown community development center is about to get about $9 million in grants and consulting fees, as a part of this project. so it is not quite right to say that they represent all of chinatown. there are a lot of people who have been working with us to oppose the project. commissioner mirkarimi: thank you. any other public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. colleagues, same house, same call? so moved. next item. >> item 12. amend the prop k 5-year

prioritization program for signals and signs maintenance and renovation. this is an action item. commissioner mirkarimi: any discussions? seeing none, discussion is closed. public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. same house, same call. so moved. next item. >> introduction of new items. this is an introduction item. commissioner mirkarimi: discussion? public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. next item. >> item 14. public comment. commissioner mirkarimi: public comment about public comment? >> commissioners, you have heard from some very astute people here talking about the transportation system with empirical data. that makes a difference from the

very general. the third street light rail, when it was first brought to our attention, was supposed to perform in a certain way. it has not. it is very slow. we have issues of safety. we can bring to your attention the best information. our local newspapers are reduced to trash. we do not get good information. papers likthe huffington post ar

publications are doing a better job. we call ourselves a liberal city. supervisors, business is not going to be as usual if you keep dumping millions of millions of dollars, as you did with hunters point, other projects that i could name, but i will not name. in the end, it is left to you all. at one time, being a politician was a respectful career. it is not because of such types of decisions. thank you. commissioner mirkarimi: thank you. any other public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. next item. >> adjournment. commissioner mirkarimi: have a

good rest of the day. meeting is adjourned. >> i am not a big speech-maker, but i relish the idea of coming here today to share with you a very special graduation. i want to begin by saying it has been a wonderful, exciting time being the mayor of san francisco for these first seven months. i have had the privilege of

working with the chief and his wonderful staff and the fire commissioners. i know they're here to celebrate this unique opportunity. we're joined by supervisor carmen chiu. the last time there was a firefighters graduation class was 2005. it has been a long time. i understand that over 5000 people applied for these positions. those 5000 people along with you know that these jobs are precious, meaningful to our city, and hard-bofought jobs. i am here to congratulate those of you who have been part of this class. i want to recognize and thank

the trainers. each and everyone of you have now departed and in printed -- imprinted on these recruits, skill, attitude, commitment. i want to thank you for the professional hand-off in training. i know that is not easy to do. i want to say to your recruits that you are joining a world- class department. i know that having been part of the city for 22 years. i know that right after this event, you will be sent to your fire houses and engine companies. but for a moment right now, and visualize that you are joining a world-class department, a department that has served the

city so well and has its own history. it is a department has provided the city with its own heroes. i want to congratulate you for working really hard getting to this point. i know that you come from so many diverse backgrounds and disciplines. i understand there is a bartender among you. there is an accountant. there are people who worked in 911, people from all walks of life. now you get to work as a team. you have gone through this 14 weeks of rigorous training so that you can be part of a world- class firefighting team call the san francisco fire department. i also want to let you know that you are also joining me and 26,000 other people who serve the city well.

you are part of delivering a world-class city of services. whether or not he will be jumping into a fire, rescuing a cat from a tree, or maybe being with me when disaster hits the city, i want you to know that you have my personal appreciation as you begin your careers. every day on the job, we serve the public and do the best the weekend. everything you do by way of sacrifice is worth it all for this great city of san francisco. no they will be backed up by this mayor and administration, -- know that you will be backed up by this mayor and administration and board of supervisors. your friends, family, the residents of san francisco hold

you number one in the appreciation that we have and the wealth -- love of the city family. you are joining a great department. we want to make sure we do our best. you are joining a world-class department of firefighters, paramedics, and all the other wonderful things that we do. i want to impart that i am personally appreciative of the sacrifices you have made thus far. i will also appreciate everything you do from here on. i will do my best to continue leading this city and making sure we recognize all of the contributions made.

we want to keep this city family close so that we can depend on each other whenever we have times of need. i want to signal to the public and your families that this is a day we want to remember as one where we celebrate your entry to this department, how you got here, all of the sacrifices, and make sure that you know that you are serving the best city in the world. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, mr. mayor. [applause] >> good morning. thank you all for coming today.

this is a beautiful looking group of people. give them a hand. they have been through so much in this training facility. i am so happy to be here today. it has been a long time coming. i am hoping we can make this an annual thing where we are bringing on even more firefighters for this great city. we have people retiring, leaving the department in large numbers. we are truly going to need them and more to come. i am hoping that is something we can start talking about. this is such an amazing city. every single day when you hear the fire trucks and see the firefighters saving lives, i cannot be more proud to be a fire commissioner then i am when i see this great department saving lives. you are coming into a wonderful department.

there are people here representing the department whether you are in or out of uniform, you are always a representative of this great city. i am so proud to be here on behalf of the commissioners who are here and those who cannot be here. we're here to serve and work with the city. we are here for you. thank you so much for being part of this great department. we're looking forward to meeting you and working with you in the future. [applause] >> thank you, fire commissioner. the chief of the department, joanne hayes-white, would now like to say a few words. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. welcome to our beautiful

division of training 21 years ago, i sat in those seats and was a proud member of the 1978 recruit class. we're here to celebrate your hard work and successful completion of the rigorous 14- week recruit academy. this the first recruit academy we've had in nearly six years. you now have the skills and ability to enter the field on your assignments and provide firefighting and emergency medical services to our community to fulfil our mission. i remember your first day here on may 2, 2011. i spoke about the importance of teamwork, getting to know one another, and working together to build on strengths to help those who might be struggling. teamwork serve you well throughout our careers. your ability to do that and be successful has paid off. the staff at the division of

trading has provided you with an excellent foundation -- at the division of training has provided you with an excellent foundation. each day, you will gain new insights and experiences you will carry with you throughout your career. hopefully someday you will train other firefighters like yourselves today. whether it is responding to restructure fire, medical,, making a presentation to the community, you are now part of the official san francisco fire department family. i am very proud of each and everyone of you. [applause] the profession you have entered is more than just a job. it is a vocation. it is an honorable and noble vocation. there are tremendous rewards and satisfaction that go along with a career in the san francisco fire department.

along with this comes great risk and responsibility. as firefighters and medical service providers, we put our lives on the line daily to carry out a very important mission. this is painfully present in our minds with the tragic loss of firefighters in june, heroes who made the old and sacrifice in fulfilling the mission of the san francisco fire department. i know vince and tony are looking down and giving you the thumbs up today. you are to be commended for the work over the last 14 weeks. you have formed a strong team. the bond will always be with you. each and every member of the class i graduated with is a lifelong friend because of the experience, bond, and teamwork

reform here at the division of training many years ago. i encourage you to continue those relationships as you move into the field. always challenge yourself. be a sponge when it comes to learning and knowledge. ask a lot of questions. treat everyone the same way that you would want every member of your family to be treated each and every day, even when you have been up for hours and hours. always wear the uniform with pride as you are today. nothing is worth doing unless you do it 100% all the time. i am proud of the diverse makeup of our class. it truly reflects the community we are serving. all of you came very well- prepared. you were all emergency medical technicians. this is the first time we have had a class that we made that a

requirement. it is great to have real estate appraisers, people who have worked in construction, personal trainers, people will have worked retail, 911 dispatchers. that is all important. each of you bring something to the team. i am also proud that collectively, there are many languages that you speak in addition to english. we have speakers fluent in spanish, cantonese, italian, french, russian, and vietnamese. all of that is value added for an employee of the san francisco fire department to serve our diverse city. many of you have advanced or bachelor's degrees. with history majors, sociology, i.t., psychology, civil engineering. all that is impressive and important as you build a team and contribute to the san francisco fire department.

to the family and friends of our recruits, thank you very much. it has been a sacrifice for the recruits and family members. it has not been an easy 14 weeks. you will find that there will be missed holidays because they are serving the city. we're so proud to have them. we're thankful to you for your continued support throughout their careers. i will also like to acknowledge the division of training staff. it is challenging and rewarding. it was one of my favorite positions. we're able to impart our knowledge and experience and make our imprint on the new recruits. under the direction of frank costa, they are all to be

commended for the work in building the foundation upon which the class will continue to grow. we have many new faces. we had some tiretirements last month. i could not do my job without a good team of people to work with. i would like to acknowledge each and everyone of you chiefs recommend -- representing the department today. i want to thank the commissioners for your support. we're very proud to work with the commission that challenges us, works with us, and expects us to be our best. we appreciate your presence today. of like to acknowledge local 798. thank you for continuing to advocate for our department, to give the recruits over our class working.

supervisor chiu, i would like technology. -- i would like to acknowledge you. i really appreciate your presence and support of the san francisco fire department. the supervisor was chair of the budget committee. it was not an easy task. we appreciate her diligence in that role and how she understands the importance of continued funding for public safety. last but not least, to mayor lee. he is -- i am proud to be achieved for almost e y